Our Cultural Norms

Investigating Our Cultural Norms 1

Investigating Our Cultural Norms

Full Sail University

Investigating Our Cultural Norms 2

Instead of discussing several topics, I decided to focus on one personal experience that I

see as a bricolage stemming from several different cultures and a variety of perceived origins.

Several months ago I decided to adopt the mohawk hairstyle after remembering a picture of my

grandfather with one when he was in WWII. Although

it isn’t as popular a hairstyle anymore, I felt like it fit

within cultural norms and I really couldn’t see any

downside to cutting my hair like that, other then the

occasional odd look (after all it is just hair). It was well

received at home because of the positive connection it

established with my grandfather and it was highly

praised at work, which I think this is due to the culture

Apple has established in being supportive of being

different. Having the mohawk has made me feel more accepted within Apple, so I would say that

I have experienced collective effervescence and thus has helped establish my collective identity.

In fact, my hair has almost become a collective representation

within our store: it’s talked about during meetings, I’ve been

asked to pose for photographs to illustrate how Apple praises

diversity, and has even been praised by corporate as a unifying

symbol for the culture of the store.

Working at the Apple Store exposes me to several different cultures in a given day, some

of which have a different perception on what my haircut means. The most common one and the

Investigating Our Cultural Norms 3

one that I would identify as my cultural norm is the view that most people from the United States

or Europe take when associating the mohawk with the

fashion style common in the punk rock subculture during

the 70s and 80s (Burhan, 2010). However, I didn’t expect

people who come from places like India, China, or Japan to

think that I am Native American; often they make Indian

like gestures at me, like cupping their hand over their mouth

to simulate an Indian war cry (Native Circle, 2012).

Probably the worst reaction I got came from the

local Jewish community who assumed that I was a

skinhead and were reluctant to approach me or even

rude to me; as I later found out there was a large

group of skinheads that terrorized the local Jews a

few years ago and they are still nervous about it (The

Anti-Defamation League, 2004).

The true origins of the mohawk are unknown, but it’s

been found in several different cultures around the world. A

2000-year-old Clonycavan Man was found near Dublin with

a mohawk and artwork of Scythian warriors depict mohawks

as a hairstyle in 600 BC (Aremy, 2011). In the sixteenth

century Ukrainian Cossacks wore a similar hairstyle

Investigating Our Cultural Norms 4

called a khokhol when going to war (Wikipedia, 2012). The name

came from Iroquois tribe called the Mohawks, who saw their hair as a

connection to the Creator and cut it into a narrow strip when going to

war; there are even some legends of Daniel Boon having his haircut

like the Mohawk Indians (Burhan, 2010). However, the association

between the hairstyle and the mohawks come from the 1939 movie

called Drums Along the Mohawk (Kimenyi, 2012). The first true documentation of a mohawk

came during WW2 when paratroopers

would cut their hair in a mohawk and

use warpaint on their faces;

paratroopers weren’t expected to live

long and they took great pride in being

warriors (Burhan, 2010).

I’ve already pointed out how a simple thing like a haircut can be viewed as a collective

representation and how that can inspire collective effervescence and collective identity. We can

also see some examples of cultural determinism from my experience with the local Jewish

community and their reaction to my hairstyle; their environmental experience with skinheads

altered their behavior to be wary of those with mohawks. There is also an example of cultural

construction when people place their hand over their mouth to simulate Indian battle chants; this

act is something that was created by Hollywood for movies, but has been accepted as a part of

Indian culture based on misinformation. In conclusion, I was very surprised to see how many

Investigating Our Cultural Norms 5

different perceptions and reactions people could display from such a simple thing as a mohawk.

While it didn’t seem like such a big deal to me, others could see it in a positive or negative way.

Investigating Our Cultural Norms 6

References:

Aremy. (2011, August 13). The history of mohawk hairstyle. Retrieved from http://

todayontoday.com/2011/08/the-history-of-mohawk-hairstyle-336

Burhan, A. (2010, February 19). History of mohawk hair styles. Retrieved from http://

ezinearticles.com/?History-of-Mohawk-Hair-Styles&id=3794947

Native Circle. (2012, January 01). Some everyday myths about Indians. Retrieved from http://

www.nativecircle.com/mlmEverydaymyths.html

The Anti-Defamation League. (2004, April 02). Connecticut White Wolves. Retrieved from http://

www.adl.org/learn/news/white_wolves.asp

Exposing the Occult. (2012, January 20). The origins of the mohawk hairstyle. Retrieved from

http://www.exposeoccult.com/index.php?

Just, P., & Monaghan, J. (2000). Social & cultural anthropology: A very short introduction. New

York: Oxford University Press Inc.

Kimenyi, B. (2012, February 23). The mohawk is today’s ruling hairstyle. Retrieved from http://

www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=&a=9300&week=8

Wikipedia. (2012, May 26). Mohawk hairstyle. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Mohawk_hairstyle